PhanFiction - The Tribal Forest - (Chaptered)
by Sbuna101
Summary: Dan and Phil are part of different tribes *the Atova and the Hious* who have been at war for twenty years. The war is over, but the Atova's must fight for survival against the cruel Hious cheif. Conflict arises when Dan find's himself falling for the enemy. (900 reads! means a lot, love you all) .
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

Both of the tribes were at peace. Trading, throwing parties, they never disagreed. That was twenty years ago. The princess of the Hious tribe was being coronated into the throne. There was a massive festival, to which they invited their sister tribe, the Atovas, for a celebration. There was laughing and dancing and singing and happiness all around. That didn't last long. The chief of the Atova Tribe had too much to drink and was offered a bed for the night. After the coronation, the princess was found dead in her room. She had been murdered. The castle was searched for anything and everything vaguely suspicious. The Atova chief was found with a bloody knife in his room. The chief, Stolman, was taken on trial immediately. He denied everything, saying he would never kill his friend's daughter, and didn't remember anything from the party. The princess's father, Sodux, didn't believe him. Sodux, being the ruler of the Hious tribe, waged a great war on the Atovas. The war raged on for many years. Stolman, being the coward he was, barely fought back, sending small armies, refusing to be very beneficial to his country. And so, the Hious tribe and seized the throne of their once 'sister city'. Now the remaining Atovas hide in the wilderness, fighting for survival against the harsh cruelty of the elements. The tribes lived on an island, making escape nearly impossible for the Atovas. They were hiding, in fear that the king's guards would capture them and take them back to the castle, awaiting God knows what. It's been twenty years since then. Dan was only three when it happened. Sometimes he wished things could be different, that he wouldn't have to constantly run for his life, always hiding from the Hious. But Dan was an Atova. And this was his life.

A/N: Basically, if you want know some things before the story begins, the people from the Atova Tribe are hiding from capture and sometimes form 'camps' where a group of people hide out together. Dan isn't in a camp, he's a loner. The people from each tribe are told apart because of birthmarks on the top of their right shoulder. The Hious have a lightning- like thing, and the Atova's have a snake-ish looking one! I'm kind of writing this at like 5 a.m cause I got hit by the bus of inspiration, so uh.. here we go. Please keep in mind that I am writing this on the fly with no plot line whatsoever than what you just read up there.. so yeah! I hope you enjoy, reviews make me happy ^.^ and I love you! ENjOY!

Chapter One

I woke up, stretching and standing up from my bed made of pine straw and wool. There was a knock at my door. I wasn't afraid of who it was, for the knock consisted of three slaps and two fists on the rough wood, the code between me and my most trustworthy friends. I opened the secret wooden plank that couldn't be recognized as a door unless you were looking for an unknown entrance in the trees. When the war had started, my dad was forced to go into the army. Knowing what would eventually happen, He made a secret house in the tree that led to an underground 'cabin'. I was only thirteen, and he died shortly after the war ended in a brutal attack. My mother was killed then too. Now, it was just me, fighting for survival. My father had taught me many good survival tricks and fighting skills. I shook my head, trying to clear my head of those thoughts. That was not important right now. Opening the door, I found my friend, Carrie. She stood there for a second, then stepped in.  
"Hi." I said. She nodded. Carrie was an extremely talented woman. She could be kidnapped and get away with all the guards dead on the floor. One second she's tied down, the next she's escaped to the trees. Almost catlike.  
"I just finished cooking some chicken, would you like some soup?" I said. Whilst I had slept, I had forgotten about the broth that was boiling on the fire. Thankfully, nothing drastic had happened.  
"Cooking meat is dangerous. The dogs might smell it," was her reply. She was serious most of the time, but nice and cheerful when she opened up.  
"Oh, please. That doesn't matter," I scoffed. "Even if the dogs did smell it, those guards are too stupid to find this place."  
"That's what you think." She paused. "And what I thought."  
Carrie often brought me the news, considering she was in the best camp and the fact that she could jump from tree top to tree top without so much as blowing a leaf out of place.  
"Oh?" I said. "And what made change your mind?" She took a sip of her soup.  
"Two camps have been found and taken."  
"Oh, that's nothing big. Most of those camps out there are run by children who don't even know what they're doing!"  
"Like you?"  
"I don't, and will never, run a camp." I shook my head. Carrie knew what I thought about camps. Even if you were the best of survivalists, joining a camp was a bad idea. You had to fend for others, and if one person made a mistake, all of the members would suffer. Camps were usually made above ground, making them easy targets for the guards. I was a loner, and always would be. She was a member of a camp. Not one of the stupid frilly ones that would let anyone join and would fall like the rest. Hers was for the elite and strong alone, and would often seek out opportunities to fight with guards, ready to take on anything. She constantly was asking me to join. I always declined.  
"So how'd they get caught this time? Lighting a fire at night out in the open? Or were they searching around guard territory in broad daylight?" I asked dryly and sarcastically.  
"No, Dan. One of them...one of them was Ben's camp."  
"What!?" I dropped my spoon. Ben was a close friend of mine. He had started a camp, using so many precautions. They lived underground. How did the guards find out about them? "So Ben is.." I couldn't finish my sentence.  
"I'm afraid so," She whispered. It stung. It wasn't the first time I'd lost someone. I'd lost my good friend Jack. His twin brother Finn had escaped, but Jack hadn't. You'd think that the number of times it's happened, I would be used to it, but it always hurt. When they got you, the only time to escape was when you were being driven in those big wooden trucks to the castle. Once you made it there, there was no hope. No one ever came out. Dead or not, they weren't seen again.  
"Is that all that's happened?" I asked, wiping the emotion off my face.  
"No. You know how safe Ben was. How he would never do anything that had a risk and no gain? Well, the guards are starting to catch on to our plans. They've started drilling holes into the dirt, searching for anything hollow."  
"Oh no." My hand flew to my mouth and hovered in front of it shakily. "Who else have they found?"  
"No one else we know, just another camp. Eleven people in total. Dan, you're not safe here. You should really join m-" I cut her off.  
"Carrie. I know you really want me to. But I don't think I can." She sighed.  
"Alright, but never be afraid to come to us. You know where we are, right?" I nodded. Maps were to dangerous to have in case it fell into enemy hands, so I had burned the trail to her camp into my brain.  
"Please tell me we have some good news."  
"No..it gets even worse."  
"Worse?"  
"Yeah...they've started cutting down the forest. The big tree that overlooks the entire tribe territory...it's gone."  
"Gone?" I couldn't believe it. That tree had been there for hundreds of years. It was where the Atova Tribe leaders had first camped. It was directly in the center of their territory. "How could they desecrate our land like that?!"  
"It's not our land anymore."  
"It'll be our land no matter what they do."  
"Dan. Listen. This is how it is now. If you want to help fight against it-"  
"No. I'm not joining!" I yelled. Carrie looked down at the floor. I could tell I had hurt her feelings. "Carrie..." I said, feeling ashamed at my outburst.  
"No no, it's okay." I could tell it wasn't. She wasn't upset about what I had said, there was something else, something that had been underlying the whole conversation.  
"Carrie." I put my arms on her shoulders. "What are you not telling me?" She started to cry.  
"It's...it's Charlie." She said through the sobs.  
"Did he...was he captured?" Charlie was her boyfriend. They had been together for almost a year now. They seemed so close, even though I had never met him. She talked about him a lot.  
"No, well...yes, but not recently.." Her voice trailed off. I was confused.  
"What do you mean?" I felt like I had to tread lightly. Carrie was usually so strong, I had never actually seen her break down like this. She looked up at me.  
"About a year ago, I met him, and we...I thought we had fallen in love. He had the birthmark," She pointed to her right shoulder, "Meaning he was an Atova, so I thought he was trustworthy. Yesterday, he said we were going on a special date, but.." Another deep sob.  
"It's okay, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."  
"No no, I'm fine. I can, I'll need to tell my camp members soon anyway. I'll be fine." I nodded for her to continue. "It was a trap." My eyes went wide. A traitor? Charlie had betrayed Carrie?  
"No," I muttered in disbelief. "Oh, Carrie.."  
"I barely made it out. They had been waiting in the bushes. He brought me to the lake, and they...they jumped out and threw a sack over my head. I barely made it out," she repeated. "Charlie was promised by the chief, that..that if he caught me, he could be free. He had been captured a year and a half ago."  
"Carrie, I'm so sorry to hear about this." She nodded, her curly blonde hair bouncing up and down.  
"No Dan, it's alright. I learned a lesson. The chief is 'promising' freedom to some Atovas if they bring us in. We can't trust anyone.."  
"Wait...he was caught a year and half ago?" She nodded again. "That means.. they aren't killed straight away?" His thoughts went back to Ben. Could he still be alive?  
"It seems like it."  
"Hm.." I was deep in thought.  
"But listen, Dan. Who can we trust now?"  
"Do you trust everyone in your group?"  
"Yes." She replied.  
"You're sure?"  
"Yes." She repeated. "Finn, Louise, Hazel, and Dean. They'd never betray us."  
"Okay. And I can always trust you?"  
"Of course." She smiled. "I should be getting back to my camp. It was nice seeing you again." She had resumed her serious, professional demeanor.  
"You too," I said, and she nodded. I could hear the light rain beating on the roof. "You'd better stay. You know how bad it is to go out in the rain."  
"I've endured much worse. It's just light rain."  
"It won't be for long," I said, raising an eyebrow, and she knew I was right.  
"I guess," she said as I pulled out an extra mat. I put it next to the oven, that being the warmest place, and went into my room.

We were woken up by loud noises coming from outside my underground cave. I bolted up. Guards. As quickly and quietly as I could I rushed over to Carrie. She was already awake, gathering her weapons, readying herself to fight.  
"I'm going out there. They won't get away with this." She whispered.  
"No," I hissed lightly. "There's at least..." I stopped to listen. "At least twelve of them out there. Sounds like they're chopping trees down. It's too dangerous."  
"Too dangerous for me?" She smirked grabbing her pocket knife from my table.  
"Yes." I said sternly. "I've got a plan, you sneak out through that hatch." I pointed at the ceiling. "It leads into a secret chamber into the leaves of this tree."  
"You're coming with me"  
"Yeah, yeah, I will, but I have to burn anything that would be helpful towards them." She nodded understandingly. "You go up and escape to your camp, tell them how close these guards are. If I am not with you in five...no, ten minutes, bring them all here and attack."  
"Sounds like a plan." She said. I was about to help her reach the hatch, but she was so agile, she made it up there easily. "Be sure to bring your weapons," she whispered, but was then gone.  
'Okay...what needs to be burned?" I thought desperately. I realized I had a book, filled with coordinates of camps. I'll need this, I'll bring it with me...but what if I got caught? There were seven camps marked on here. I couldn't let anyone find this, but it was too valuable to burn. I remembered the secret safe in the dirt my dad had installed. I reckoned that would be a good enough hiding place, at least until I could come back for it.  
After burning a few things, and gathering some belongings, I was ready to go. It felt hard to leave this place. Hopefully, it wouldn't be chopped down. It was all I had left of my family, minus the necklace his mother had worn. I kept it securely around my neck, underneath my shirt, hugging my chest. I heard a knock on my door...not the code. Was it a guard, trying to tell if the tree was hollow? The door opened. I jumped behind the couch, the only logical hiding place I had access to at the moment. Under it, there was a secret trapdoor to the river. Could I move the couch silently? The door closed. Footsteps came closer. I peeked through a small hole in the sofa. I saw a guard, dressed in the bright red coat of the Hious guard. He had black hair hanging in a fringe and stunningly electric blue eyes that seemed almost familiar. They were absolutely beautiful...NO! What was I doing? Dan Howell does not fall for anyone, and certainly not the enemy. He had three simple rules:

1) Never give a guard what they wanted  
2) Trust only who you know well  
3) And never EVER fall in love

But this guard seemed...different, for some reason. He didn't call all his buddies who were outside, telling them about this discovery. He just stood there, taking everything in, as if he had just come home after a long vacation. That was impossible though. This was MY home. He looked about three or four years older than myself, and he was extremely beautiful. He then looked directly at the couch, scaring me a bit.  
"Come on out." He whispered. Did he really think I would fall for that? Of course not. I could feel myself holding in my breath.  
"Dan" He whispered. I froze. How did he know my name?  
"Dan," He said again. "I'm not going to hurt you."  
I shut my eyes, my mind going crazy. "PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't find me!" I felt a hand on my shoulder.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

My eyes were still closed. I felt the guard sit next to me. My hand shot down to my belt, my fingers brushing the handle of my knife. Should I attack? Why wasn't this guard yelling to the others, telling them about me? Was he even a guard? He had the uniform on. I peeked my eyes open. There was a lightning bolt on his right shoulder, just next to his collarbone. He was a Hious.  
"Look at me," He said. I expected it to be an order, but his tone was filled with care. I turned my eyes to his. They were beautiful, especially up close.  
"I'm not going to hurt you. I'm going to help you escape." My eyes went wide. Was this the chief's new trick? Sending in some guards to gain our trust only to betray us in the end? Like Charlie?  
"They're going to cut down this tree soon. You can come with me, or stay here. It's your choice," he continued.  
"Or I could escape from you, into the forest," I thought, looking away from him. I forced my eyes to turn stone cold, trying to show how unconcerned and emotionless I was.  
"Can I please just explain? We can escape somewhere safe, and if you'll please listen, I can show you-" He said, but I interrupted.  
"No." I said as firmly as I could. I would never give a guard what they wanted.  
"Aren't you curious? Don't you wanna know how I know your name, Dan?"  
My brain started to buzz wildly. Carrie and her camp members would be here soon, they'd get me out of this mess...  
"Dan. It's really important that we talk."  
He stood up and took his belt off. It dropped with a 'clank'. It sounded heavy, considering it had swords and other weapons hanging from it. He then disrobed himself of his bright red coat. Underneath was a dark green shirt and brown pants.  
"There." He said, pointing to the floor. "All of my weapons and guard attire. Now I'm just like you."  
I looked at his right shoulder. He looked at it too. "That doesn't matter." He shrugged.  
"Yes, it does." I spat.  
He looked at the floor. "You take my things, and lead me wherever you want. Ask me any questions, and I'll answer, truthfully. Whatever it'll take for you to trust me." He sounded like he was begging. I glanced at him, searching him with my eyes. He seemed desperate. It didn't appear like he had anything hidden on him.  
"We'll go to the river." This was a terrible idea, I was breaking all my own rules. But I really was curious. "But." I whipped my knife out and pressed the flat of the blade against his large Adam's apple, effectively cutting off air circulation to his windpipe. "One wrong move, and I'll slit your throat without a second thought."  
He nodded and gently covered my hand with his own, pushing the knife away from his throat. He left his hand there for a moment before I blushed and yanked my hand away.

"Should we use the trapdoor under your couch to get there?" He said, raising an eyebrow.  
"How did you..?" He pushed the furniture in question aside, revealing a plank of wood.  
"After you," he said, gesturing with his hand.  
"You can go first." I muttered. He nodded again, stepping down into the darkness. I followed. My mind went to Carrie as soon as the immediate danger vanished. It had to have been ten minutes since she left. Was she okay?  
"What's your name?" I asked. It sounded firm like I wanted it to. I can't show him any sign of friendship or emotion.  
"Phil." He replied. "Lester." Something in me rang with remembrance.  
"And I'm-"  
He cut me off. "Dan Howell."  
"Uh...right." How did he know that? I would be sure to ask him when we got to the river. I stopped in my tracks, mentally slapping myself. How did I not think of this before? It was just like what happened to Carrie and Charlie. He had taken her to the lake, where guards were waiting for her. This was a trap. How in the world had I fallen for this? Not anymore. Phil noticed I had stopped.  
"Is something wrong?"  
What should I do? Tell him I know? The best thing would be to kill him. I should never show a guard mercy..but Phil...Phil seemed different. I found myself wanting to trust him. I can't, though. That'd be a mistake. My hand grabbed my dagger. I should. Take him out right now. No mercy.  
Phil looked at me with his deep blue eyes. The thought of all the light leaving them scared me. I couldn't do it. My mind went blank.  
'NO! You can do anything! He's just a pathetic guard,' I thought. I often argued with myself. 'But what had he done to me?' Ben's face appeared in my brain, followed by Jack's , and a few others I had lost to these men. These red coated men.  
"I...uh." I stuttered. Phil looked down from my eyes to my hand, noticing the dagger.  
"Dan. I know what happened with Charlie." That shocked me. "And, I'm not like that, we don't have to go to the river, you can ask me everything now."  
I wanted to know everything. Should I keep him alive, have him tell me what he knows, then kill him?  
"We can't spend all day down here, we'll need oxygen."  
Phil nodded in agreement.  
"We'll go to the river." If guards were there, I could get away, I could escape like Carrie had. "So you know about Charlie and Carrie?" I finally said while we crawled through the tunnel.  
"Oh, Carrie's her name?" Oh (insert swear word here), I had just given away too much information. "She's the pretty one that's super-fast and agile?" Phil asked. I nodded.  
She was pretty and I would definitely have a crush on her, if I were interested in girls.  
"I heard from some other guards that she was a problem, constantly intercepting captures, so they got Charlie to build up trust with her. Fortunately, she was too fast." Phil said.  
"Fortunately? What's that supposed to mean? Didn't you want her to be captured?" I asked, involuntarily glancing down at his birthmark.  
"No. I hate what the king forces us to do. Sure, it's nice having a room, and riches, and plenty of food for doing it, but it's not right. I just show up to the captures, and pretend to be doing something."

"Well, why don't you try saving them if you care so much?"  
"I have. No one trusted me." Phil said, nonchalantly. I suddenly felt bad. Was Phil really a good guy, wanting to help, but just was misunderstood? Or was this all an act? I definitely had trust issues.  
"We should be there soon." I mumbled.  
"Would you like me to go out first?"  
"Yeah."  
After a bit more crawling, we reached the exit. Phil climbed out.  
"Do you need a hand?"  
"No, I can do it."  
"Right." Phil went over and sat on a rock. I joined him once I came out, the dagger still in my hand.  
"So." I said turning towards him. "Tell me how you know my name, and why you care so much about the Atova Tribe." It wasn't a question. I was going to get answers from him.  
He sighed. "Do you actually not remember me?" He almost looked...hurt.  
"I..."  
"No, it's fine. We were split apart when the war started. You were three."  
"And you were..?"  
"Seven." He answered.  
"Before the war started, we were friends...or as close of friends as we could be, considering our age. I always cared for you and protected you when your mother couldn't. Being from different tribes didn't matter back then."  
"You...you what?"  
"Yeah. It was ten years into the war, and our fathers had to go fight. They had stopped being friends, so I never saw you anymore..." His voice trailed off.  
I had been friends...with a Hious?! This was news to me. The first friend I could remember was Carrie, shortly followed by Ben, Finn, Jack, Louis, Hazel, and Dean.  
"So then how did you know which was my house, and where the trapdoor was?"  
"Your mother. She left a note to our family explaining where it all was. She had written 'I owe you one, Phil Lester' on it. I'd been looking for it while on capture missions, but this forest has changed so much, it was all so different."  
"Yeah." I agreed. I was trusting Phil? I felt like I could, or I wanted to, at least. This could all be a trick. He could have been childhood friend, who was still planning to capture me.. .and now that he knows where I live, I may have gotten myself in a lot of danger, and not have known.  
"Do you think it's gone?" I asked quietly.  
"What's gone? Your tree?" I nodded.

"I hope not. They were planning on taking out that entire part of the forest, but it's really big, so maybe they left it."  
"Yeah...how long have we been here?" I wondered, looking at the sky. It was growing a soft shade of orange.  
"I'm not sure, I should probably be getting back. If the other guards found me I would-"  
I stood up. I didn't want to hear what he had to say about that. My mind flew back to Carrie. Had she and her camp friends attacked the guards? Was she and her gang looking for me? I felt anxious. If she was captured it would be my fault. My mind was struck by another idea. Was this Phil's plan? To lure me away from the tree, so that the other guards could get her and her friends? I suddenly felt very icy towards Phil.  
"What's wrong now?"  
"Tell me. Tell me everything you said was true."  
"It is Dan…I wouldn't-"  
"SWEAR IT!" I yelled.  
"I swear. Every single bit." He looked into my eyes. "Is something the matter?"  
Should I tell him? I remembered Carrie's words, 'You can't trust anyone.' I still didn't.  
I sighed. I wanted to trust him. So much. It didn't seem possible, though.  
This man -this guard- knew where I lived, knew how to get into my home. Knew, it seemed, everything about me. He could easily tell the chief everything. What had I done?  
"Dan. Everything is safe with me." He said, as if he had read my mind. "I won't tell anyone."  
I still didn't know what to do. I was still clutching my dagger. I could make him forget everything, with one small swish of my weapon. My thoughts were interrupted by a loud horn blowing.  
"I have to go." Phil said standing up. "Remember, everything is safe." Then he was gone into the night.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three  
I started to walk home, keeping my ears alert for any noise. Walking through guard territory was dangerous, especially at night when the dogs were up. I kept my eyes on the ground, making sure there were no dry twigs or leaves in my path. It was well past nine, so hopefully most of the guards would have already returned to the castle. My thoughts traveled to Phil. Was he really trustworthy? Now that he knew where I lived…should I go move in with Carrie and her camp? No, that would probably just bring more danger to them than they already had to deal with. I wanted to know what made Phil different from all the other guards. Why did he care about us Atovas?  
I heard rustling. Out of pure instinct, I instantly pulled out my dagger. Spinning around slowly, I scanned my surroundings, trying to see through the thick cover of darkness. The noise came closer, drawing in slowly. I saw something coming at me. Two somethings…no, three. As they came closer I recognized Carrie. Dean and Hazel were behind her.  
"Dan." She said, slightly out of breath as she reached me. She grabbed me into a hug. "Where on earth have you been?"  
"I…uh..." I hadn't thought about if I should tell them or not. If I did, I'd be called 'stupid' for trusting a guard, and they'd want to use me to lure Phil into a trap. If I didn't, I'd have to lie and make up some stupid excuse for where I was. But they trusted me. They trusted me to tell them the truth. Dean and Hazel came running up. They weren't as fast as Carrie, but those two could put up a fight. I then realized that Carrie's knives were bloody, and Dean had his bow in his hands. Hazel's katana was also a bathed in crimson. All three of them had cuts littering their faces and arms.  
"Nevermind me, what happened to you?" I asked, dismayed.  
My ears pricked up as a noise erupted from the bushes where the three of them had emerged.  
"Run!" Dean yelled. We took off.  
"Where to!?" Carrie screamed.  
"My place!" I shouted.  
"No, not safe anymore." Hazel breathed as we ran.  
"Camp! NOW!" Dean said hastily, making a right turn into a bush. We followed. The bushes concealed a sudden drop, leading to their underground camp. We all tumbled in. Finn was there with Louis. His chest was bloody, but was sitting up in his chair. Louise was crouching next to him, rubbing some sort of homemade ointment around his wound. Finn winced in pain.  
"You're back." Louise said standing up. "Oh. Hello, Dan."  
I nodded at her.  
"Dan. Please tell us where you were." Carrie implored whilst she applied a bandage to Dean's head.  
There was a rumbling above us, and the ceiling shook slightly. Whoever was chasing us had just passed, thundering by.  
"Can you tell me what happened to you guys first?" I asked, attempting to buy some time to think about what I should tell them. Hazel sighed deeply.  
"Carrie came over here and told us the guards were at your place, so we got ready to fight. After ten minutes of waiting, we came to your tree. You and all the guards were gone. We started walking around looking for you. A few hours passed. We saw someone walking around. He was wearing brown and green, so we assumed he was one of us. He wasn't. He was a Hious, but he wasn't wearing bright red."  
I barely restrained my gasp. Was it Phil they had found?  
I asked for a description of him, trying to sound unconcerned.  
"Black hair, blue eyes." Finn muttered.  
"And surprisingly pale." Dean added. My heart stopped. Did they…hurt him?  
"What…what'd you do?" I asked. The fact that I was afraid to hear the answer clearly showed how much I liked Phil, but I wouldn't let my myself dwell on that thought.  
"Louise gave him a crack on the head with her bat, but instead of fighting he ran." Hazel explained.  
"What a bloody coward," mumbled Louise.  
"Yeah well, coward or not, we chased him down. Finn tripped on a sharp rock and got a massive cut, so Louise took him home." Dean said.  
"Well what about Ph-" I stopped myself. I can't tell them his name, or that I know him. Not until I know if he's still alive. "iiinnn. What about Finn, will he be alright?"  
"With some rest, he'll be fine." Carrie replied.  
I sighed in relief. I had played that off fine.  
"Oh, good." I forced a small laugh. I started to sweat. I needed to know what happened to Phil. "Did this guard get away?"  
"Yeah, unfortunately," said Carrie. "But a few others came."  
"And we put up a fight," Hazel interrupted proudly, cleaning off her katana. They all nodded.  
"Heck yeah we did!" Dean stood up triumphantly. "But a lot more came, so we had to run." He sat back down.  
Yesterday, if this conversation would have come up, I would be right there with them, swearing and spitting at those cowardly guards, but now I just silently nodded, awaiting the next time Phil would visit me. I had some questions for him.  
"So where were you that entire time?" Carrie asked suspiciously.  
"Oh I..."  
'Tell them the truth! They trust you!' My mind yelled.  
"I was about to sneak out and return to you guys, but I felt someone hit me over the head, and I blacked out. I woke up a bit later. Apparently, guard tied me up. He was really weak, though. He was easy to take out." I laughed nervously. Would they believe me? They seemed to.  
"Ha! Bet you showed him who's boss 'round here!" Dean cheered.  
"Uh…yeah." I took a sip of the water Hazel had given me.  
"Right well, we'd better be off to bed." Louise said, standing up. "Dan, are you staying overnight?"  
"I guess I will."

The next morning I woke up -surprisingly early- and jumped out of the camp into the bright morning sun. I walked to my tree which was actually still standing. Had the guards not found it? Hazel had said it wasn't safe anymore…but everything seemed to be just how I left it. Including Phil's coat and belt on the floor. Better hide that. Should I give him the weapons? I still didn't completely trust him. After tidying up a bit, I went outside to look for some food. This was always dangerous, but I of some good hunting grounds the Hious didn't know about. I walked into the darker part of the forest that eventually led to the shoreline.  
I had trapped a rabbit, and had it tied in a sack on my back. I heard a twig snap. Instinctively, I grabbed my dagger and swung around. Silence. Was that just an animal? Suddenly, a rock came flying at my head, just barely missing me. Another rock attacked me from the bushes, hitting my wrist. My dagger flew out of my hand, landing a few feet away from me. I screamed in pain. Blood started to drip down my arm. Who was my assailant? The bush that the rocks came flying from went still. I glanced around. Spotting my dagger, I ran towards it. Unexpectedly, someone jumped out of the bushes and tackled me, landing directly on top. He wasn't wearing a red coat, but instead had a black cloak on.  
I received a punch to the nose, and another to my lip. I hit the unknown figure back with equal force. He seemed dazed, but soon recovered and pinned my wrists down. The pain was excruciating. He applied the most pressure to my damaged one, caused by the rock. My wrists burned, but I had lived through much worse. I struggled to fight back, but the man in the cloak was too strong. I kicked hard, shaking him up considerably. His black hood fell off revealing a boy, probably a year or so older than me, with brown hair. He looked surprised that it fell back, but didn't do anything about it, just kept pressing down on my wrists. I felt all the blood leaving them. He pulled off his grip. I lifted up my hand, ready to fight, but they fell back down. There were huge bruises on them that hurt immensely when I attempted to move them. It felt like an unknown force was pinning me to the hard ground, but this man had let go, now fingering my belt. He pulled out an extra pocket knife I kept in it. I could tell some blood was returning to my wrists, so I got ready to launch myself at him, when he grabbed my neck, forcefully pulling me up. He threw me down again. This time I landed on my stomach. I coughed hard as I hit the ground. He grabbed my already bruised and aching wrists and started tying them together, the rope burning my skin. I tried to fight back, but I was too exhausted and pain-wracked to do anything. Would anyone find and save me? I had ventured deep into the forest, where, chances are, no one entered. The unknown figure kicked my side. I started coughing harder, tasting blood in my mouth. Was I going to be taken to the castle? He wasn't a guard, or at least he wasn't wearing red. The birthmark. Why hadn't I looked before? I lifted my head upwards, my eyes searching for him. He was sitting there, looking at me, while sharpening my pocket knife on a small rock making a horrible screeching noise. His right shoulder was covered.  
There was a rustling heard in the trees around us.  
"Stay there," He commanded. "Although, you really have no choice, do you?" He grinned sadistically. He got up and walked into the forest. I frantically looked around. Where was my dagger? It had fallen out of my hand…I scanned the ground. Ah! There it was, hiding under some dried leaves. I rolled, painfully, over to it. How do I pick it up and use it? I heard a loud 'crack' from behind me, followed by a groan of pain. What was happening? Did my captor fall and hurt himself?  
The cloaked man ran back to where I was. He grabbed my arm tightly and pulled me up, his fingernails digging deep in my skin. He then used me as a shield against whatever was coming. Out of the darkness came Phil, his blue eyes blazing. He looked at me and smiled, I instantly felt safer, which was odd considering I'd never felt that way about a guard.  
"Charlie!" He shouted. "You little creep!"  
Wait…Charlie!? Charlie as in betrayed-Carrie-and-tried-to-kidnap-her-Charlie?!  
I heard him whimper behind me. He pushed me down and my body fell on the rough ground with a thud. I groaned. I had fallen close to my dagger. Dangerously close. Charlie ran straight toward Phil, my pocket knife in his hand. Phil moved out of the way, giving him a good a knock on the head with his fist.  
"Phil," I whispered. I didn't notice how much my throat had been hurt from Charlie's grasp.  
Phil looked over at me, spotted the dagger, and ran up grabbing it. With one swift movement from Phil's hand, Charlie lay dead on the ground.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four  
Phil stood still, looking down on Charlie's body.  
"Did I just...?" He whispered in disbelief.  
"Yeah, you did. Charlie deserved it." I muttered.  
"But, I've never...I've never actually.."  
"Phil. You're a guard, and you're telling me you've never actually killed anyone?"  
"No...never." He looked like he was in shock of what he'd just done.  
"Listen, Phil. You know that Charlie had it coming. Even if he did bring me back, the king would have probably done it for you."  
Phil nodded. Still holding my dagger, he walked over to me, and started to cut the rope that held my wrists together. I moaned when the ropes were removed.  
"Owwwhhh" I sighed. My wrists were bloody and bruised.  
"Oh Dan," He said, sympathetically, holding out my arms.  
"It's fine. I'll, I'll be fine."  
I whimpered as his fingers lightly brushed the wounds. I looked up into his eyes. They were so soft and blue, and they shimmered like stars. I suddenly noticed how beautiful he looked under the bright moonlight. We sat there, for possibly hours, just starring at each other. He was still holding my scraped hands, the pain being replaced by something else. It felt good and exciting, sending swirls into my mind. Was it...love? Was I feeling something for him?  
"Thank you, for saving my life." I whispered.  
Our faces were extremely close now. I'm sure he could feel my breath.  
"I wouldn't have let you died. I never will." Phil breathed back.  
We were getting closer, and I couldn't stand it anymore. Placing my hand on his cheek and my other around his neck, I leaned in and connected the small space between our lips. He grabbed my back, pulling me in, and we toppled over. The two of us laid on the ground, which had felt hard and painful earlier, now felt like a cloud. I put my hand on his chest. I never wanted to leave. I knew how wrong this was, but I didn't care. I knew what would happen to the both of us if someone walked into the forest, but, again, I didn't care. All that mattered right now was that I was with Phil.  
For the entire night, we stayed there, gazing up at the stars, his hand in mine, our fingers enlaced.  
I could tell when he had fallen asleep. I turned my head to gaze at him. His eyes were closed and a lock of dark hair swept across one of them. My glance turned to his shoulder, so close to mine. He was a Hious. My brain wouldn't let that go. His kind had captured countless numbers of my tribe. I should hate him. I should reach for my dagger, tie him up and take him to Carrie and her camp. That would be the right thing to do.. but maybe I wanted to be wrong. Maybe this time, I could break my own rules. Maybe this one time, I didn't have to tell Carrie, and Dean, and Hazel, and everyone else the truth. Maybe this one time, lying was acceptable. I felt like I should run. Run away and never see Phil again. But I couldn't do it. I couldn't pull away from his loving hug. I couldn't bear the thought of never seeing him again. Never look into his deep, beautiful eyes that reflected the sea. Reflected the thing that kept us on the same country. The thing that kept us all here. Was this what love felt like? Was this what I wanted love to feel like? Like you shouldn't go on without that person next to you?

I saw the sun beginning to rise over the tall trees that surrounded us. The warmth reached my skin and I bathed in it. We had spent the entire night here. Waiting for someone to find us? How stupid could we be? How stupid could love make us? I looked over to the sleeping figure next to me.  
"Phil." I whispered, nudging him. "Phil, wake up. It's morning."  
He groaned. "Come on, Phil. We have to go. What would the other guards do if they noticed you were gone?"  
"They wouldn't. Over there, I'm weak little Phil, who can't do anything, who would be more useful as a mule." He muttered.  
I frowned.  
"That can't be true. You're perfect, and I think the fact that you don't want to do what they do makes you even more so." I whispered in his ear, making him smile. "Now come on." I said, standing up. "We don't want anyone to see us."  
He groaned again.  
"Ughhh. I can't be bothered."  
"Fine. You can stay here, but I'm going to go wash off my cuts in the river."  
Phil stood up.  
"No, don't leave." He placed a light hand on my shoulder.  
"I can't spend the entire day here with you. Do you want Carrie and everyone else to worry and come looking for me, like they did last night?"  
He sighed. "I'll come along."  
"Good."  
Arriving at the river, I laid on my stomach, which still ached from the blows delivered to it. Dipping my arms into the cold water felt cool and refreshing. Phil sat down next to me. He started to rub my back.  
"About last night.. what..uh.. what does that make us?" He stuttered slightly.  
"It doesn't have to make us anything. You could call us, not-enemies-anymore or misunderstood-lovers" I replied.  
"Dan, I just, I really -"  
"I do too. I shouldn't but I do. And there's nothing I can do about it."  
I saw his reflection in the water. He was looking down onto the ground.  
He cleared his throat, as if this would remove all the awkwardness.  
"Should we get some bandages for your arms?"  
"No. I'll be alright."  
He helped me stand up.  
"I probably should get home now."  
"Yeah.. is your tree still standing?"  
"It was yesterday morning"  
"Mhmm. I'll..uh...I'll see you later." He wrapped his arms around my neck, leaning in for a kiss. Suddenly, footsteps were heard. I ripped myself off of him. Looking to my right I noticed a figure walking towards us in the shadows.  
"Punch me." I whispered.  
"What? No, I can't-"  
"Someone coming. Punch me and run, if it's an Atova, I can pass it off as we were fighting."  
He closed his eyes and gave my jaw a whip, not as hard as he could have but enough to make it look believable. He bolted away.  
The figure came closer. It was Dean.  
I fell to the ground in a fake groan of pain.  
"Dan! What are you doing out in these woods!? And who was that? Are you okay?"  
"Yeah." I coughed. "Just got in a fight with a guard."  
"He roughed you up!" He exclaimed glancing at the marks Charlie had left on me the night before. "Let me take you back to the camp."  
"No, it's okay, I can walk to my house."  
"I'll help you. If you get in a fight on the way there, you'll be killed for sure."  
I nodded, while he picked me up. I used him as a supporter. As I looked behind me, saw those blue eyes watching me from up in a tree, smiling down. I smiled back.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five  
The scars on my arms healed quickly with a special ointment Louise brought over. They would still sting from time to time when I attempted to throw a spear, or shoot an arrow, but for the most part, I felt much better. Almost every night Phil would sneak into my underground hut and we'd secretly slip off to the darker part of the forest to lay silently under the stars, whispering sweet nothings into each other's ears, and hold hands in relaxed comfort. It was completely wrong of me to love him, but my heart yearned for him, and whenever we were apart, it ached. I no longer cared about the dangers of being out at night, or being hidden in case someone walked by. All I wanted was Phil. For him to hold me, and care for me. I always saw myself as the strong one, but when I was around him, I just wanted to cuddle with him forever.  
It was mid-afternoon, and I had just made myself a pot of tea when I heard Carrie's knock. Without waiting she burst in the door, slamming it behind her. She was breathing frantically and deeply, as if she had just run away from a pack of lions. I opened my mouth to say something, but she flicked her finger to her lips, signalling me to be quiet. I shut it. A thundering sound passed by the tree. After it quieted down, Carrie removed her finger, and made a big sigh.  
"Oh, thank goodness, he's gone." She slumped down onto my chair. I noticed her hair was messier than usual, and her arm had a cut going down it.  
"Carrie..what happened? What were you running from?" I stood up, wetting a cloth, and dabbing it on her arm.  
"Bad news, Dan. They got Hazel." Her voice cracked slightly.  
I gasped. "No..they...she's so strong...how did they-"  
"Chris." She spat.  
"Chris? Who's-"  
"We were out gathering supplies when a few guards ambushed us. The fight was short and we took 'em out in a few blows." I nodded as she continued. "Then this really big, burly guard came after us. He grabbed Hazel and threw her to the others." She shut her eyes, as if she was trying block it all out. "He chased me down to here, giving me this." She pointed to her bloodied arm that I was attempting to heal.  
"Carrie..I.."  
"There's nothing you can say! They're all being captured! Who next?! You, me, Dean, Louise, Finn? We can't keep doing this!" She yelled. I was taken back by her outburst.  
"It'll be okay. Hazel is tough. She'll survive, I know she will. She's strong. And so are you."  
She shook her head. "I don't think I can do this anymore."  
"You can. Think about Dean, Louise, Finn. They all count on you. I count on you." She just sniffled. "Remember what's right, and what you're fighting for." I patted her knee.  
"You always know what to say." She smiled, then leaned in and put her lips on mine. They were warm, but felt so...wrong, the exact opposite of Phil's. His were passionate, deep and loving. Hers felt more like a force, pressing hard. I could feel the wet tears on her face, transferring over to mine.  
'NO NO NO!' My mind yelled. 'PULL AWAY! MAKE IT STOP!' I did. She looked confused.  
"Carrie. I can't-"  
"I...I'm sorry Dan I just.. I thought.." She stood up, pulled her green hood over head, and rushed out the door.  
Soon after that episode, it grew dark, and Phil was back in his underground cabin.  
"Hey there." He smiled. I nodded back. "You all right?" He asked.  
Should I tell him? Would he be mad? Carrie kissed me, not the other way around. I don't know what-  
"Hazel was taken.." I murmured.  
'TELL HIM THE TRUTH!' My mind screamed at me.  
"Oh, Dan...I'm really sorry. I would have helped if I had-"  
"No, you're fine Phil. I know you would have."  
"Okay. I understand if you don't want to go out then."  
I stood up and grabbed his hand.  
"I've missed out on twenty years of cuddling with you, I don't want to miss another day." I grinned. He smiled widely.  
As we walked over to our favorite spot in the forest, we talked. I told him about Louis bringing me ointment and healing my scars. I was afraid to bring up 'Chris' and I think he could tell. Phil finally let out a sigh as we collapsed on the growing grass.  
"The chief is planning a lot." He said.  
"Like what?"  
"Have you seen Chris around? Really athletic? Really strong?"  
"No. But Carrie told me he got Hazel."  
"Oh." He replied.  
"Yeah. Carrie barely escaped him."  
"Mhmm. He's pretty intense." Phil agreed.  
There was a long pause. Phil rolled over on his side, looking at me directly with those deep eyes.  
"Dan. What are you not telling me?"  
I knew I had to let it all out, or I'd probably explode.  
"Listen Phil, I really really like you, from the moment I saw you. But can we really be together? Carrie kissed me, and I can't tell her about us, as much as I want to, and she's falling apart and-"  
"Wait, what? You kissed Carrie?" He interrupted. I should have phrased that better.  
"No, Phil. She kissed me. I have no feelings for her, just you. Yeah, she's my close friend, but you're my closer friend." I snuggled up next to him. "My closest friend."  
"Right.." He seemed unsure.  
"Phil, I'm being completely honest."  
"I believe you. I do..it's just...I'm afraid of where we're going.."  
"What do you mean?" I asked.  
"I mean you...us. Not being together because of these stupid birthmarks on our stupid shoulders!" his voice grew louder. "And the stupid chief making these stupid laws in this stupid forest!" He blazed, standing up.  
"Phil, calm down, we'll make it work. Spending each night under the sky isn't so bad. It'd be great if we could be free, but this is good enough. Good enough for right now. And at least everything is at peace. Would you rather have a war raging on? The two of us in the battlefields...against each other."  
He nodded and sat down. "You're right, Dan. You always are."  
I chuckled. "Sometimes, things are broken. We can either complain about it, or attempt to glue it back together."  
I pressing my hand against the side of his head so that it fell on my shoulder.  
"Everything will be fine, as long as we're together," I murmured.  
The wind blew through, chilling me. I hadn't brought a jacket or anything, but I was warm enough with Phil next to me. I heard a slight rustle.  
'It's the wind, or an animal.' I thought as I drifted off to sleep, with Phil in my arms. Nothing like cuddling the one you love under the perfection of a nights sky.

_The rustle happened again, but Dan and Phil didn't hear it. They were too busy sleeping in each other's loving grasp. Little did they now that this would be the last time in secret. Little did they know that a pair of shocked, brown-green eyes were watching them. The person belonging to the eyes smiled. _  
_"Finally caught 'em." His deep voice growled._


	6. Chapter 6 Part One

Chapter Six (PHIL'S POV)  
I laid there on Dan's shoulder. He had obviously fallen asleep. I could hear his slow breathing, deep and heavy.  
Suddenly, I felt a hand grab hold of the collar of my shirt. Before I could scream, I felt another fall over my mouth. The invisible force pulled me up.  
"Ah. Philip. Nice too see you again." He took his hand away from my mouth. "Don't think about making a noise, or...well, Dan won't be waking up."  
"Chris?" It came out as a hoarse whisper.  
"Hi." He flashed a smile. The pain from his hand up against my neck started to choke me. "Oh, my. Am I hurting you?" He asked 'sympathetically' in his fake caring voice. I winced slightly. "It appears I am." He dropped me, and I fell onto the cold ground. I wanted to yell. Dan lay there, still sleeping like the perfect angel he was.  
"Please don't hurt him." I squeaked out.  
"Hurt your precious little Danny? I would never." The mockery was extremely evident in his voice. He grinned maliciously. "That's your job." He squatted down so we were eye level. Chris grabbed my jaw and squeezed it. He brought out a knife.  
"Take it." His eyes blazed, making him look insane. "Take it."  
"What?!"  
"Take it. Take that worthless Atova. Kill him. He's useless. A waste of oxygen."  
My eyes went wide. "I...I would never!"  
"Why not? Do you...love him?" He was grinning maniacally. Yep, Chris was definitely mental.  
His words hung in the silence. "Well, Philip. It seems you're going to be a problem for us." He scraped the knife across my jaw. Some blood spilled out and oozed down my neck.  
"Do whatever you want. Just please, please leave him be." I managed to get the words out. I knew he wouldn't listen, but Dan was all that was on my mind.  
"Oh, man. You're causing more trouble than I thought. Sounds like you need some help." He sauntered over to Dan.  
"No! No, please!" I screamed.  
Another guard marched into the dim moonlight. Chris nodded at him, and the guard walked up to me and punched me square in the face. He twisted me onto my stomach, grabbing my wrists and tying them together.  
"Take him to the chief." He spat at the guard. "I have to..talk to our little friend here." He laughing menacingly.  
"Please!" I yelled but I was being pulled away. Dan's sleeping body was still there. Would I ever see him again!? "DAN!" I yelled loudly.


	7. Chapter 6 Part Two

Chapter Six [Part Two] (DAN'S POV)

_Sorry about how late this is, please don't hurt me.. :)_

"DAN!" I heard Phil's voice yell. I bolted up.  
The moon shined bright in the dark sky. Another noise errupted from the shadows. I looked to my right. Phil was gone.  
"Phil" I whimpered. I had woken up in the dark many times, but I actually felt in danger with Phil not here. Was this some terrible nightmare? I heard a thud. The ground shook slightly. I reached for my dagger on my belt, but nothing was there. My pocket knife was missing too.  
"Looking for this?" I frightning voice said. I looked up. A big, burley man was there, holding my belt above me, the metal glinting in the moonlight.  
"Where's.. where's Phil." I wanted my voice to sound strong and firm, but it sounded more like a child's squeak.  
"Oh, poor sweetheart. Does little Danny miss Philly?"  
"Where's Phil." I demanded it this time, bringing as much strength as I could muster to my voice. It sounded firmer.  
"Oh my. Fiesty are we?"  
I hated the way he mocked me. Who was he? Was this Chris?  
He dropped down from the tree he was standing in.  
"What have you done with-"  
"Phil? That little traitor doesn't love you anymore."  
"That's a lie!" I barked.  
"Is it? You'll see soon enough, of how much he really hates you. You'll see how much he played you."  
"It's not true!" I was losing my temper, but his stayed calm and collected.  
He walked over to me and placed his finger under my chin, lightly grazing my jawline.  
"Listen here, sweeetheart." His words sent chills down my spine. He sounded icey, like a ghost. "You're just a worthless, little Atova," His words came out with spit. "No one. NO ONE. Will ever love you."  
"Phil loves me." I whispered.  
He grabbed my neck, choking me. His face was so close to mine. Scarily close. I could feel him breathe, and see the sharp features of his nose and cheeks. "NO!" His voice now turned into fire, burning everything. I was on the verge of tears, from his words or from the deep grip in my neck, I didn't really know. He loosened his grasp on my neck, making me slipp out of his fingers, collapsing on the ground. I whimpered quietly.  
"I would kill you now, but that's not my orders." He was now back into his calm persona.  
"Then what are they." I coughed.  
"To help you."  
"Yeah, right." I sputtered. I think I tasted some blood.  
"I am. I am telling you about the dangers of being with Phil. He's playing you."  
"He is not." I attempted to sit up off the floor, but I recieved a kick to the stomach. If there wasn't blood there before, there was now.  
"Fine. Don't take my warning. You'll see what I mean soon enough." He jumped back into the trees, disappearing into the shadows.  
I groaned, the pain taking all of it's toll on me. My mind wouldn't stop buzzing wildly.  
Where was Phil? What was we talking about? Did Phil really hate him!? No. No. Of course not. I just needed to find him. He would explain everything.  
I crawled my way out of the darkness, trying my hardest to reach my tree. I heard voices. Oh great. Not now. I would easily be captured in the state I was in. I saw fire. All around. Burning. Everything burning. Was there an actual danger, or was it all an illusion my eyes were playing me. There were more noises. Then everything stopped. The world blacked out.


	8. Chapter 6 Part Three

Chapter Six [Part Three] (PHIL'S POV)

After trudging through the deep forest for a while, my captor and I arrived at the castel gates. I had wanted to run, and I almost had, but the thin piont of his dagger on my back kept me there. Occasionally, whenever I made a sudden movement, or opened my mouth to talk, it would dig into my skin, just scraping the first layer, becoming deeper every time.  
We soon arrived at the tall gates that were my home. I had passed through these gates a thousand times but this time it seemed so much more scary.  
The guard led me into a big hall with gold piping along the side. Everything was white and gold, blinding me slightly. At the end of this long hall, I saw the cheif. I had never actually seen him before. He was extrememly fat, barely fitting in his throne. I had heard stories about this man. Stories from the war. People had said he was an amazing fighter, strong and handsome. Was this not the cheif? Or had twenty years of the palace life style put a few extra pounds on him? He was wearing a white robe, and seemed oddly sophisticated for our world. The world of surviving in the wild wearing dirty clothes, and eating whatever we could catch. I had been with Dan so long, it seemed like was starting to think like an Atova.  
Arriving a few feet away from where he sat, my guard pushed my down onto my knees, a bit of dust flew off of my pants, dirtying the polished floor.  
The cheif looked down on me, his green eyes seemed excited, like a new idea had sprung into his mind. His gaze went from me to the guard. With a nodd, the guard cut the ropes over my wrists, and left the room. I hadn't realized until now how much the ropes had been burning my skin. I started rubbing them, soothing the pain slightly.  
"Can I get you some bandages for those scars?" He asked. His voice had the same imaginary ring of care hidden in it. Like Chris.  
I scowled at him. I wouldn't say anything. I couldn't put Dan in more danger than he already was.  
When I didn't answer, the cheif wobbled over to a table, and picked up two white rags. I winced as he placed them on my bleeding wrists. It felt good though. The cold cloth removing the pain.  
"There. Looking mighty better?"  
I still didn't answer. I wouldn't even look in his eyes. I could stand whatever he did to me. For Dan.  
"You seem to be shy. I'm just here to talk."  
I kept my gaze on the floor, afraid to show him the fear in my eyes.  
"Are you not going to talk?"  
Silence.  
"Fine." He said, walking back over to the table, fingering a bottle with a purple-blue substance in it. He placed the unknown liquid-full bottle on the floor beside me. The cheif then grabbed a fistful of my hair, leaning my face towards his. I seethed at the pain of his tight grip. He starred into my eyes. "Listen here, Philip." He spat out my name. "I know what you've been up to. Did you think I never wouldn't? I own this forest, and I know everything that goes on." He growled. Letting go of his grasp on my hair, he picked up the bottle, turning his back to me. My hand flew to my head, feeling it ache.  
He swung around. "Do you know what this is?" Silence continued to follow. "No? Well Philip. This is what's finally going to happen because of your mistakes. Do you know what those mistakes would be?" I looked away. "No? That's surprising. You have been having a love affair with an Atova, yes? I don't even see how you can 'fall in love' with someone so hidiously stupid as-"  
"SHUT UP!" I screamed, before I could stop myself. He had a satisfactory grin on.  
"Why?" The cheif had the same smug and mockery tone that Chris had. "He's just an Atova. You couldn't care less, right?" He snarled.  
"No." I choked out. "He's not and this isn't right. Dan is perfect, and these birthmarks don't define who we are." I was yelling at myself inwardly. Everything I am saying is going to put Dan in even more danger. I needed to stay silent, but his words had boiled up rage inside me that I had to let out.  
"Oh really? I would hardly call this perfect" He pointed to the ceiling and a screen suddenly appeared. Dan was in it. He was unconscious on the ground.  
"Dan." I whimpered. Hopefully this wasn't where Dan was now. He looked so cold and.. dead. I ripped my eyes away from the image, knowing I would cry if I gazed any longer. The screen vanished.  
"So, would you like to know my plan?" He didn't give me a chance to answer, even though I wouldn't have. "Well, you see this bottle?" He held up the liquid. "This contains some pretty nasty juice. One sip of this, and your bodie pretty unresponsive. Practically under my control." He grinned maliciously.  
I shook my head in shock. I couldn't get any words to form. I instantly closed my mouth. He gripped my hair again a lot harder than before. The pain burned through my scalp.  
"Open up." He commanded. I shook my head vigouresly. "Don't make me get Chris." I continued to shake my head. "Chris!" He called out loudly.  
The door slammed open, and the strong man walked in. I looked up at the cheif, his eyes dancing insanely. "Why don't you go bring in Daniel."  
My eyes went wide. Would opening my mouth save Dan? I slipped my lips apart slightly. Without wasting anytime, he flicked the corck off the bottled juice, and forcefully started pouring it down my throat, tears streming down my cheeks. It tasted like ice, cold and wet, dripping down into my stomach.  
'Anything for Dan.' I thought.


	9. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven (back to DAN'S POV)

My eyes fluttered open, awaken by a knock at the door. It wasn't the code. Wait.. what happened last night? My mind was buzzing with confusion. Was that all a crazy dream? Where was Phil?  
Another loud knock, this time more of a bang. Whoever it was didn't wait for me to answer. It was thrown open, Phil walking in.  
"Phil!" I shouted, a smile splitting onto my face. I didn't know where he had been, or what happened, but Phil was with me know. I threw my arms around him in a tight hug. He didn't hug back, instead shoving me hard, making me fall to the ground. My smile faded.  
"Get off me." He spat. My heart felt as if it had been shattered into a million pieces, floating in a sea of confusion.  
"Phil.. what do you-?" I stopped talking abrutly when Chris walked in, his eyes glinting in a malicious way. The two of them stepped into my underground 'hut' followed by a random, red coated guard.  
I was still on the floor so Chris squated down to me becoming eye level, just like he had last night. "I told you this would happen." He whispered sharply in my ear. Standing back up, he shouted "Bring 'em in!" In came another guard accompanied with Carrie, Dean, Finn, and Louis following him, all tied.  
"Guys.. what is going on?" My voice cracking slightly at the sight of them. They were all bruised with a look of defeat on their face.  
"You sold us out" Carrie spat at me.  
"No.. no I- you know I would never."  
Everything was so confusing. Had Phil actually betrayed me? I had trusted him. Was it all an act, like Chris had told me? I tried sorting it all out in my mind, my thoughts being interrupted by a fat man entering. He had a white cape on that seemed to barely fit his plump body him.  
"Why hello Daniel!" He said, with a wide grin, acting much to cheery. He held out his hand, lifting me off the floor. "We've never met, but Philip has told me a lot about you." I looked over to Phil. His eyes weren't the beautiful shade of romantic blue they always were, more like an unforgiving and depressed black.  
"Who-?" I started, but the overweight man cut in.  
"I'm the cheif." He smiled, which didn't have that beautiful, caring glow to it like Phil's. His smile was toothy and shady. He extended his hand out to me, expecting me to shake it. This was the cheif? He looked nothing like stories had pertrade him as. I didn't know what to do. "Not much of a socialist?" The cheif said as he withdrew his round hand. I was still speechless. Everything was wrong. What was happening?  
"So you seem to be Phil's 'special lover'?" He said mockingly, looking me up and down. I suddenly felt self-conscious, his eyes darting over my scar and bruise littered arms, and messy hair.  
"I.." No words wouldn't come out. The cheif shook his head at me.  
"Since you are, we'd better give these two some 'alone' time." He smirked, turning to Chris and the other two guards. "Get these four back to the castel." he gestured towards Carrie and the rest.  
"No! You.. you can't." The words stumbled out.  
He laughed, nodding at Chris, and everyone left except for me, the cheif, and Phil. Looking at Phil, the cheif muttered, "You know what to do with him." Phil nodded, staying emotionless and the cheif left my tree.  
"Phil.." I stepped closer to him. He didn't back away, or swing at me, he just stood there, like he was a living corpse. "Phil." I said again. He didn't even act like he heard me, just kept starring off into the distance, not even blinking. "Please." I whispered. "Please wake up." I brushed my fingers across his head, moving some fringe. I leaned in and kissed his lips. I didn't know why I did, but it felt like the only thing that could make everything better. His lips were strangly cold, but warmed up at my touch. His eyes became a slighter blue. "Please. Phil. What happened last night? And what are Chris and the cheif talking about? And why did Carrie think I sold her out? AND WHY DON'T YOU LOVE ME ANYMORE!?" It was coming out in tears this time. Everything rushing out. I collapsed onto the floor, a sobbing mess. I felt a hand reach onto my shoulder. Phil was there, his eyes that perfect shade of blue. He smiled at me, as I threw my arms around him again, tackling him into a tight hug.  
"Dan." He whispered into my ear.  
"Phil." I retreated from the hug. "What's going on?"  
"I don't really know. Last night Chris came and- oh I'm so glad you're still alive!"  
"Yeah me too. I was pretty roughed up, but that doesn't matter. Where were you? I woke up, and you weren't there, but Chris was, and I thought that he had-" I couldn't continue.  
"No Dan, it's alright. Chris had some guards take me back, and the cheif.. he used this terrible potion on me. It was so awful. My brain wouldn't listen to me- I felt.. useless. He was contolling me, and it was just awful. It felt like I was frozen inside, not even a really human being.. just a puppet." He looked down to the ground. I gave him another hug, stroking his raven hair.  
"It'll be ok." I consoled. "How did the potion effect wear off of you?"  
"I don't even understand any of it. I just felt everything melt when.. when you kissed me." He smiled, and so did I.  
"Dan" He breathed after a pause. "I want to stay here with you forever.. but the cheif will be looking for me if I don't come back with you. I was.. supposed to take you back to the castel.. and-" He glanced up at me, his eyes on the verge of overflowing with tears. "I don't ever want to go back to that horrible place. Can we just.. leave?"  
"Leave? As in run away? Wouldn't that be great Phil? I would love nothing more that too escape this horrid place, and live freely, with you at my side, birthmarks and all." I was crying now too. "But Phil, remember what I said? 'Sometimes, things are broken. We can either choose to complain about it, or attempt to glue it back together'." He grinned. "Let's go and glue it back together." I leaned in, connecting our lips, feeling his tears, and his hand slither up my back, sending a relaxing shiver down my spine.  
"You always know what to say." He smiled.

I found myself walking in front of Phil to the castle. My hand were tied behind my back, and there was a knife on me as well. Everytime it would move the slightest, grazing across my skin, Phil would whisper sorry, his voice usually cracking and I would just nodd. The two of us had come up with a plan. A plan that could either save all the Atovas and end this terrible tyrant, or get us all killed.  
Phil had, reluctantly, used the rope the cheif had given him on my wrists. He was near tears when he did it, but I kept telling him it was ok. That it was all for the plan.  
"You have to seem confident." I had said, "Or he won't believe it all. Be believable."  
"I don't think I can.."  
"I think you can. Just throw in some ruthless words."  
"But I promised I would never hurt you." He had squeaked. I remembered looking in his eyes, seeing the fear welled up in the tears.  
"I know, but I won't be offended. I know you love me." I giggled.  
He smiled as he agreed.

"We're almost to the gates." Phil whispered in my ear, snapping out of my daydream.  
"Right. Remember what I said." I could feel his heart beating.. or was that mine? It didn't matter. We just had to trick every guard, along with Chris, and the cheif, and carry on our plan wth hundred of Hiouses roaming around.. shouldn't be too hard.  
The two of us arrived at the big stone walls, the entrance of which was a massivly intimidating black gate. A guard stood in front, a bored expression on his face.  
"Names?" He muttered, glancing at Phil's lightning bolt scarred shoulder.  
"Philip." He replied confidently. The guard didn't move, or show any sign of recognition. "Lester." Phil continued.  
The guard's eyes fell onto me, so I put my head down, trying to look as defeated as possible.  
"And..?" He said.  
"Daniel Howell." I was surpirsed by the ring of hate I heard in his voice. If I actully didn't know better, I'd think he really did despise me.  
The guard's face lit up, obviously knowing about the cheif's current plan.  
"Finally got 'em?" He smirked as he opened up the gates. Phil didn't reply.  
"Good job." I whispered once we were out of this guard's hearing range.  
"I try." He grinned.  
"Hey, don't get me giggling."  
"Sorry."  
We kept walking through the castle, getting some strange looks from passing Hious men.  
"Why do they keep looking at us weirdly? Don't you have captured Atova's in here all the time?"  
"No. They're usually taken down to the uh.. cells."  
I had never asked him about what happens when the Atova's are taken here, I guess my mind would much rather ignore that fact than know about it.  
"Then where are we going?"  
"Shh.. to much talking will be suspicious."  
I agreed.  
Phil led me through various corridoors, until we made it into a small, dark room with a gold door inside. He turned me around, and gazed into my eyes, simultaniously putting his arms around my neck, leaning in. The kiss sent butterflies, soaring through my stomach, and I savored every moment, afraid it would be the last. He pulled away.  
"I love you so much." I whispered.  
"I love you too." I think he was choking up.  
"No no, don't cry." I dabbed his cheeks with my thumb removing some stray tears. "You can do this. We can do this."  
"Right." He hugged me again, and pecked another kiss onto my lips. "This is it." He breathed heavily.  
"This is it." I repeated.


	10. Chapter 8 Part One

Chapter Eight [Part One]

Phil opened the large golden doors, and we entered a huge hall, everything being white and gold. Phil gave me a shove, pushing me foward slightly, so I started walking. When we reached the end of the hall, I saw the cheif sitting in his throne.  
"Ah, well done Philip. I thought you had changed your mind, taking so long." He chuckled. Phil just nodded.  
I tried to put on an emotionless face or at least seem defeated and destroyed, but it was a little hard with Phil's hand on my shoulder, his thumb soothingly carressing my back, hidden from the cheif's veiw. "So Philip, why don't I get a guard take that one down to the dungeon, and you and me can go down to the dining hall for some food?" I could feel his hand tense up, squeazing my shoulder slightly.  
"No thank you, sir.. I'm uh.. I'm not hungry. I'll take him down to the dungeon."  
"No no. You haven't eaten since this morning, you must be starving. There's fresh wine and deer." His grin looked oddly suspicious. Did he know about our plan? Did he know the potion was no longer in effect? Well obviously! I wanted to slap myself for being so stupid. Phil was supposed to be under the cheif's control. If the cheif said to eat, Phil ate. He needs to gain his trust. I subtly nudged his chest with my elbow. I guess he caught on to what I was trying to say.  
"Yes, sir." He smiled, then, quite unexpectantly, pushed me onto the floor. I landed on my side, my head making a 'thud' noise as it hit the ground. I let out a small moan from the sudden pain. Phil was laying this on thick. I, obviously, wasn't complaining. That's how he had to act if it meant we could convince the cheif. I knew everything was for the plan. Only for the plan.  
"There we go, I'll be right back with Chris to get this one." He gestured to me, and left the room.  
Once he was gone, Phil dropped onto the floor beside me, cupping my cheeks with his hands. "Oh Dan, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to push you over so hard."  
"No, it's fine, you're doing a great job." I rolled over so I was looking at him. I seethed slightly at the pain in my arms from the crude landing. "You just have to remember to do what he says, like the potion is still working." I paused thinking over what might possibly happen whilest they ate. "Be sure not to eat anything that could be poisoned. And try to make as little, or none, conversation."  
He nodded as we heard squeaky footsteps coming back.  
"Now, do something intimdating! Slap me, anything." I said fantically.  
"What? I-"  
"Phil. He seems suspicious. You have to convince him!" I whispered. Chris and the cheif were getting closer. Phil picked up the collar of my shirt and raised his hand. I closed my eyes ready for him to hit me. As the cheif walked into the room, Phil whiped his hand -fairly gently I might add- across my face, the impact errupting a 'smack'. The cheif motioned for Phil to follow, so put my shirt collar down, mouthing 'I love you' before turning to go with the cheif.  
As they left, Chris yanked me up, and walked me down a few corridoors. I kept my gaze on the ground, not making eye contact on anyone or anything. This didn't seem like the same Chris who had tormented me in the forest not long ago. His grip was the same, cold and hard, but he wasn't scowling. He almost seemed.. sorry for me. I was tempted to look in his eyes, to see what I could read from them. Was that a good idea? I glanced upwards slightly, immediatly looking back down. His eyes weren't the meniacal green they had been, more of a soft brown. Strange.  
We went down a few stairs, then entered a dark room with a black door. It was extremely eerie and horrifying. The two of us walked by some jail cells, all black and rusty. I hadn't expected there to be a dungeon in this castle. I guess there had to be, but Carrie and I had been sure that Atova's were instantly killed when brought here. My mind was now on Carrie. I would need to find her for our plan to work. Where was she?  
Chris stopped abruptly at an empty cell. He brought out some keys and a knife. Cutting the rope that bound my hands, he opened the door, and threw me in. I landed on my knees on the cold, dark, dirty room floor. Chris locked the door, and left.  
I was having a bit of trouble breathing. Whether it be from the unclean and musty air, or the tiny room I was in, I didn't know.  
'It's only for one night. Not even that. Phil will be here soon. Stay calm.' I thought, breathing heavily in and out. I needed to focus. Focus on the plan. Think everything through in my head. What if something goes wrong? What if the cheif makes Phil drink another potion? What if we can't find Carrie? What if-  
'STOP!' I yelled inside my mind. Everything will be fine. Phil can handle whatever happens. You need to be strong. I found myself rocking back and forth in the corner, thinking about my beautiful Phil. Was he alright? What time was it.. shouldn't he be here already?  
After what seemed liked hours, I heard boots squeaking along the hallway. A bored looking guard walked by all the cells, barely making any eye contact with any of the prisoners.  
"Finally" I breathed silently. Phil should be sneaking in here soon to let me out. When the squeaking boots man left, I went up against the bars. The only thing I could think about was Phil. My mind went to this morning, when he had acted like he didn't love me. The flashback skipped to when he were about to enter the hall to see the cheif. His voice rang in my head 'This is it'. I shut my eyes, imagining his face, with those blue orbs gleaming back at me. I imagined our last kiss we shared. His warm lips on mine. My eyes fluttered open when I heard the door creak open.  
"Dan?" A tiny whisper came out. My heart leaped.  
"Phil!"  
I attempted to be as quiet as I could, looking as I far out of the bars as physically possible. Obviously, Phil's vision hadn't become adjusted to the darkness, for he kept stumbling around.  
"Shh. You're gonna alert the entire castle." I hissed with a giggle. No answer. He finally made it to my door, inserted the clanking keys, and opened it up, making a horrible creaking noise. I smiled and wrapped my arms around him. He didn't hug back.  
"Phil.." I looked into his eyes. "Oh no. Did he use that potion on you again?" Silence. His eyes were the black that they had been when he was at my tree that morning.  
I leaned in and kissed, willing that this would work again. I felt his cold lips melt into my warmth. When we broke apart, he sank to the floor and started to cry.  
"Dan." He whimpered.  
"It's ok. I'm here. We need to be quiet." I rocked him. "Did he force you to drink the potion again?"  
Phil nodded. "It was horrible. Worse than the last time.. it was all so cold. He made me-" More tears came, interrupting himself.  
"You're fine now, it's all ok." I paused letting his last few tears fall. "Are you ready to carry out our plan."  
He stood up, wiping away the remains of his sobbing, and nodded.  
"Right." I stood up too. "Can you get us to Carrie? I know if I go, I'll be rocognized for being an escaped prisoner, but she'll probably knock you out once you unlock her cell door, if it's just you. I think the only way to convince her, would be if I came, but there's-"  
"Shh, Dan stop rambling. I've already thought of that." He had a slight smirk on his face. Before I could ask what he meant, he pulled out a red coat from behind an empty crate.  
"Phil.. how did you-?"  
"I placed this here when I found you, just in case you were caught." He giggled.  
"You're so smart." I gasped, and gave him a quick kiss. I slipped the crimson coat over my head. It was slightly big, which wasn't terrible considering I had been freezing in my cell. "So where are all the girls?"  
"That is the boys chamber through this door" He pointed to one down the hall. "And the girls are directly upstairs."  
"Okay. Wait.. why am I not in the boys chamber?"  
"Oh. Yeah. This place, this is the maximum secruity room." He said nonchalantly.  
"Maximum security?" I laughed. "I'd love to see what regular security looks like. I've only seen one guard in here."  
Phil smiled his bright and adorable smile.

The journey to the girl's chamber wasn't exactly 'Mission Impossible.' With our red coats on, we could go anywhere without getting a single glance.  
Once we reached the door, I stopped him.  
"You stay here and keep anyone and everyone out."  
Phil nodded.  
Using his keys, I snuck through the mysteriosly creepy halls. There weren't many girls, and most of them were asleep. I knew Carrie wouldn't be though.  
I walked through another door, arriving at the 'Maximum Security' room. Peering into the bars, I saw the back of her blonde curls facing me. She was looking at the opposite wall, breathing slowly. I opened the rusty cell door and entered.  
"I won't give you, or tell you anything you want." She muttered.  
"You sure?" I answered, a smirk crawling onto my face. She swung her head around, he face lighting up.  
"Dan!" She pulled me into a hug.  
"Shh. We can't let anyone know I'm here. I'm happy to see you too." I hugged her back.  
She pulled away. "Wait, no I'm mad at you. How could you have done that to-"  
"I didn't. And I will explain, but not now we're pretty pressed for time. You can either help us escape, or sit here and rot, your choice."  
"Us? Whose us?"  
"Phil and I are the us. I will explain everything with no lies, I promise. You just have to trust me." I extended my hand. She turned back to the wall.  
"How can I!? After what you did!"  
I sighed, and stepped out the room, closing the door slowly.  
"Fine." She stormed out with me.  
"You need to be quiet. I'll take you to Phil, and we'll tell you the plan." I said as we left.  
Carrie and I emerged from the door. I look of relief swept over Phil.  
"Oh thank goodness. I was afraid she'd say no."  
Carrie kept her face emotionless.  
"Right." I coughed awkwardly. "Ermm.. This is Phil, he's my bo-" I stopped. Was the word boyfriend about to come out of my mouth? Another awkward throat clearing. "He's helping with the escape plan." I said hurridly.  
"I remember you!" Carrie exclaimed, ignoring my awkward pause. "You're that guard that we chased down that one night."  
"Yeah.. that was uh.. that was me." He smiled.  
She looked at me suspiciously. "I'm expecting a full explanation when we're done here. Now what's the plan?"  
"You guys are gonna find Ben, Hazel, Dean, and everyone else, while I go find the cheif. Phil and I don't know where he sleeps, so we have to find out if the plan will succeed. We'll meet up at the golden doors. If anyone stops you two, Carrie, you have to pretend to be a prisoner."  
She nodded. "And why do I have to go with him?"  
"Because he has the keys, he's allowed to walk around the castle at night, and your gang won't trust him. He needs you. Please work together, our lives are literally depending on it." I said.  
"Ok. We'll be back at the doors as soon as physically possible." Phil whispered. I gave Carrie a hug, and Phil a quick peck on the lips. She seemed a little stunned by our kiss, but didn't question it. They slipped off, and so did I. I was still wearing my red coat, so I hoped that would protect me, but Phil had given me a knife, for 'emergencies only'. He was clear on that.  
'Time to focus.' I thought. Where would the cheif's bedroom be? I guessed the hall where his throne was would be a good place as any to start.  
I snuck off into the dark hall. Thankfully, the security of this place left a lot to be desired. I saw a lot of guards asleep on the floor. I stepped into the room where Phil and I had shared our kiss. I smiled. Just thinking about his lips on mine made me feel protected.  
I started wandering around the hall, going into corridoors, leading into rooms. One of these places had to be a bedroom. I wondered if Phil and Carrie were waiting for me with all of the other camp members. I hoped they were getting along without any troubles.  
Room after room I searched. I came up to a large door lined with gold. This seemed like a possible bedroom. I silently opened it, and heard soft snoores errupting from the large bed.  
'Finally' I breathed as I closed the door. I finally found where the cheif was. I tip-toed back to the golden door where we had planned to meet. They weren't there. I sat down in the shadows. They should be here soon.  
After waiting what I guessed as half an hour, I started to pace. This wasn't good. The moon was all ready tipping towards the west. We probably had another three hours until day break. Once day came, there was no hope.  
I peeked out into the hall. No sign of them.. what should I do? Go look for them? That seemed like the logical plan. I snuck back up to the girl's cells. Completely silent. No one. Going back downstairs was a little hard, sometimes tripping over steps, but my eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness. No one was down here either. Nothing but the slow breathing of the prisoners.  
I proceeded back to the gold doors. They weren't there. Something was wrong. What should I do? I laid against the wall, and slid down onto the floor. A few tears slipped out, but I tried not to cry. Phil was strong, and so was I. We could stand anything. My thoughts were interrupted by a low chuckle. Someone was here. I stood up abruptly and grabbed my knife. Complete silence. Did I just imagine that? I couldn't have. It sounded so real and familiar. I heard footsteps coming closer in the dark.  
"Who's there?" I held my small pocket knife in front of me. Another chuckle errupted.  
Suddenly, someone hit me hard against my back. I fell over in shock and pain, my only weapon sliding across the floor.  
"Owwhh." I moaned.  
"Thought you could plan something on me?" The familiar yet invisable voice said. I recognized it as the cheif. I stood up, wobbling a bit. His voice continued. "After I figured out that you had found the cure for my potion, I knew I had to do something."  
I squinted, finally making out the shape of a short man. Definitely the cheif.  
"I've got to hand it to you, Daniel. You and your friends aren't the stupid Atova's I thought you were. If I got you under my spell, you'd be quite useful, I guess that'd mean the end of Philip. All he's caused has been trouble."  
"No please. Don't hurt Phil." I squeaked. I knew he was insane, and would do anything, but Phil's life was the only thing that was clouding my mind. I needed to know he was safe. Or at least still alive.  
He laughed menachly. "You know. That was about the exact same thing Phil said to me. You two really do love eachother. That's a shame." I felt a cloth rapidly wrapped around my mouth. Another punch to the skull, and I blacked out.

**next chapter is personally my favorite** ^.^


	11. Chapter 8 Part Two

**A/N: I probably should wait longer before uploading, for suspense reasons and such, but this (and the next) are my favorite chapters of the story so.. here. Thanks to everyone who's read, reviewed, favorited, and followed, it means so much ^.^ i wove you all**

Chapter Eight [Part Two] (CARRIE'S POV)

I rolled my eyes as I saw Dan sprint down the hall in his red coat, going to find the cheif. Phil was at my side, towering over my short frame. Before Dan had run off, the two of them had shared a quick kiss, which confused me. Were they a couple? They must be.  
"So." I whispered, breaking the silence. "You and Dan?"  
"Yep." He said back, equally as quiet, keeping his glance in front of him.  
"When did that happen?"  
"About a week ago."  
"Oh ok. I'm sorry, by the way. For chasing you, that one time. And for the hit Louis gave you."  
He glanced down at me and smiled. He was very attractive, his electric blue eyes and dark ebony hair. "It's fine. I understand, me being a Hious and all."  
"Why weren't you wearing your coat when that happened?"  
"I took it off when I saw Dan, so he'd trust me." He said nonchanlantly.  
"Does Dan really trust you?" I blurted out, but instantly regretted when I saw the hurt expression show in his pale face. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for that to be offensive. I just mean, do you guys-" I didn't know how to finish, but he finished for me. "Love eachother?"  
I nodded at his correct guess of words.  
"We do." He continued. "We spend nights under the stars together, and tell stories. It's really nice." He paused, then said quietly, "I know about your kiss."  
I looked down at the floor. "I'm really sorry I-"  
He cut me off. "Don't be, it's fine." A smirk split across his face. "I know how hard it is to resist the urge to make out with him."  
I chuckled. I liked Phil, and I was happy for the both of them. I opened my mouth to continue the conversation, but Phil slipped his hand over it. He jumped back into the shadows, his eyes dancing with fear. He removed his hand, placing a finger to his lips, silently telling me to be quiet. I heard what he had been motioning about. Heavy footsteps were echoing down the corridors. Coming closer. I felt my waist, expecting to find a weapon, which I was lacking in. The footsteps dispersed. I heard a gasp shatter the silence. Swinging around, I saw Phil was missing.  
"Carrie run!" His voice shouted at me from somewhere in the blackness I was consumed in. Instantly I started running down the hall. I, obviously, didn't know this place well, so I kept tripping over various objects, the darkness not helping. I didn't stop until I bumped into something, making me topple over. I had fallen right onto a bewildered guard who looked down at me, quickly grabbing my shoulders. He put a tight and painful grip on both of my arms, seeing I was an Atova. I stood there for a few seconds before forcefully yanking myself away fom him. My foot landed on his chest, sending him to the ground. Without a second glance, I continued running. I didn't know where to, but I needed to save Phil. I heard some bells ringing and guessed that was some sort of warning that I was free. I cursed myself for not being smart enough to take the guard's red coat when I had the chance. It would have been the perfect disguise. Too late now. The floor started to shake slightly and I saw what seemed to be ten or thirteen red suited men thundering down the corridor towards me. I bolted in the opposite direction, assuming I was much faster than all of them. I was, except for one. One small guard caught up and tackled me, sending us both faceplanting to the ground. He was quick pulling me up, and I was too out-of-breath to fight back. I assumed he would take me to Phil, and we could escape together. This guard walked me down the hall, throwing me onto the ground when we were confronted by the tall and masculine man. _Chris_. Phil and the cheif were beside him, Phil wearing a heavy bruise on his forhead, a rope binding his wrists, and a hard grip on his arm of the cheif's hand. He had a defeated look in his blue eyes. Chris pulled me up off the floor by my waist, throwing me over his shoulder like a sack.  
"Trying to cause some trouble?" The cheif spat at me.  
We went down a few corridors, arriving at a long white hall. Entering it, I was thrown into a chair, and tied down. I kicked Chris, receiving a sharp slap on my cheek for doing so. Phil was on the floor, hovering over a shape in the darkness. No one was holding him down, yet he didn't run. He just kept his gaze on the shape, whispering something. I heard a faint 'please' and 'wake up' coming from his tight lips. Looking closer, I realized the strange black shadow was Dan. He appeared to be dead, or unconscious. Hopefully he was still breathing.  
"Dan." Phil whimpered. His hands were cupped around Dan's cheeks, silent tears falling down his face. "Please." His voice cracked, making my heart ache.  
Phil was yanked away from Dan's body and tied down onto the chair opposite me. He didn't fight back, just kept starring at Dan's limp body. My glance fell on Dan too, noticing his chest floating up and down slightly. I hoped it wasn't my imagination that Dan was breathing. With another look over to Phil's tear stained face, the dim lights went out.


	12. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine (BACK TO DAN'S POV)

I felt cold. Everything around me was cold. I opened my eyes. I was laying on a floor, it freezing under my skin. I shivered. Where was I?  
The memories of what had recently happened flooded back into my head. Phil and Carrie missing. The cheif knocking me out.  
I patted my belt looking for a weapon. Nope. That was gone.  
I stood up, seething at the pain in my aching body. Squinting, I attempted to adjust my eyes to the darkness around me. Everything was black, like I was floating in space. A cold dark space. I thouht I heard breathing. Was that my own? No someone else was here.  
"Hello..?" I called out cautiously.  
A light flickered on in front of me. One single light shining down on the cheif, in his throne. We were in the hall. "Why hello, Daniel. Nice of you to finally wake up." His voice rang with mockery.  
"Where's Phil.. and Carrie." I mumbled the words out between my shaking jaw.  
"Well wouldn't you like to know?" He smirked. I wanted to reply with something sarcastic, but I couldn't get the words out. His eyebrows went up. "Would you?" He clapped his hands and two lights went on next to him. On his right was Phil, his blue eyes open, filled with terror. He was tied down to a chair, his black hair hanging over a bruised forehead.  
"Phil" I whimpered. I wanted to run over and kiss him, hug him, hold him. Anything, but Chris had laid a hard grip on my arm.  
"Dan." He whispered hoarsly back.  
The other light that had illuminated was on his left, it revealed Carrie. She was in the same state as Phil. Her brown eyes flickered with fear, a large red mark on her cheek.  
"Now Daniel." The cheif's green eyes blazed with an unknown emotion. Excitment? Insanity? "I'm going to let you out of this castle, unharmed, with one of your friends. You have five minutes to think about this. Choose who will accompany you, and who will meet their.. untimley demise." An evil grin split across his face.  
I was shocked. "You're absolutely insane!" I screamed. I couldn't pick one. Carrie was my really really close friend. There was nothing romantic about our relationship, but I couldn't live without her. And neither could the rest of her camp. But Phil.. he was Phil. As cheesy as it sounds, he is my soul mate. I needed him in my life. Heck, I felt dead even when he wasn't next to me. Imagining him.. him not even alive anymore.. I sank unto the floor, a tear forming.  
"Dan!" Phil yelled across the room. "It's ok, take Carrie home, I'll be fine."  
I glanced up at him. There were tears in those perfect eyes. I looked over to Carrie. Her copper eyes were threatning to overflow too.  
"No." She squeaked. "I know how much you love eachother. Phil told me everything. You can't be seperated."  
My eyes went up to the cheif. He seemed overjoyed by the cruelty of it all. I stood up, pulling in a deep breath. "Let them both go! I'll stay."  
He seemed shocked by my suggestion, but quickly recovered, putting the smirk back on his face. "Oh my my my. Seems like Danny has given up his fate for you two." Grinning, he nodded at Chris who let go of the grasp on my arm. I instantly ran to Phil.  
"No! Dan!" Phil screamed. I pressed my lips onto his.  
"Phil." I breathed. "I love you so much." I traced the side of his face with my finger. "You're so beautiful. Thank you for everything. Please don't ever forget me."  
His blue eyes starred up at me as he shook his head. "No Dan." He repeated, quiter this time. "I can't go on without you."  
"You can. Take Carrie home, make sure she's safe. Live a long and happy life, Phil." Before he could protest any more, I leaned in for another kiss, savoring every second of it. I felt his tears switch onto my face. "I love you so much, and I always will." I whispered into his ear.  
"Dan." He yelled as I walked over to Carrie. I grabbing her into a hug.  
"Carrie-"  
She interrupted me. "No Dan, please. Please just let me die, you and Phil- you need eachother."  
"I'm sorry about what happened when we kissed," I continued, ingorning her plead. I had already made my choice. "I hope you understand. You'll find someone who will love you unconditionally, and will be by your side. I'm sorry it couldn't be me. Thank you for everything you've done." I stroked her hair as she cried. "It's fine Carrie. Just don't forget me."  
"I couldn't" She muttered hoarsly.  
The cheif laughed. "So have you made your desicion?" He was enjoying this. Enjoying the pain. He was so cruel. How could he stand watching this, and not only that but, create it. Force it. I wanted to tackle him. Kill him. He deserved it. He deserved to die a million times. He deserved being ripped from his true love, and to watch them die. If Chris wasn't standing over me, I would have killed him. Right then and there. I would do it with no mercy, but instead, I just nodded. "Only if you never put them in harm's way again."  
"Oh I would never." He pretended to be hurt by my accustation. He looked over to Chris. "Untie them."  
Chris looked as if he were about to cry, but did what he was ordered. He walked over to Phil. The second the ropes were removed, Phil ran to my side, grabbing my waist.  
"I'll die with you." He whispered, holding onto me tightly. My heart broke, shattered, crushed on the ground.  
"Phil. I love you. Trust me, I don't want to leave you, but what choice do I have? I'm not going to allow you or Carrie to die. You need to go on and live a happy life, without me."  
I could feel him shaking his head into my shirt. "No." He murmured, choked by sobs. I felt a hand on my shoulder. Looking up, I saw Carrie, tears glistening in her eyes.  
"How cute." The cheif muttered. "Are you done yet?"  
I lifted Phil's chin so that we were eye level. I put our lips together, sure this would be the last time. I didn't want to break apart, but I knew I needed too. One more second, my brain kept repeating. When I pulled back, I opened my arms giving the two of them a tight hug.  
"Live for me." I whispered.  
"Come on you guys." The cheif said, nodding at Chris. The tall guard hestitated a little, but grabbed hold of me, leading me out the door. I looked behind my shoulder, seeing Phil on his knees, looking at me, tears streaming down his face. Carrie had her hand on his shoulder, probably consoling him.  
'I love you' I mouthed.  
Chris and I walked through corridoors in an awkward silence. It was terrible, knowing I was literally being led to my death. I didn't know how I would be killed, but it was a scary thought. The two of us continued to walk until we reached a large door that led into a court yard. I realized that soon, I would be breathing in fresh air. The thought called me down a bit, until I remembered it would be my last bit of air I ever inhaled. Chris stopped abrubtly in front of the door.  
"I- uh.. I need to" He coughed. I knew what he had to do. I turned around and felt him grab my wrists and tie them together behind my back. He didn't tie it very tightly. It felt like, with a few wiggles of my wrists, I could escape out of it. Was this the same evil and insane Chris that had torturred me in the forest two nights before? This Chris seemed.. sweet? He seemed scared. Scared of hurting me. I decided not to say anything. I appreciated him not putting on more pain with jears and mockery. It was hard enough leaving Phil.  
Chris opened the doors and led me outside. It was a long stretch of grass, with the cheif on the right side. He looked ready. Ready for blood. Ready for death. Absolutely sadistic.  
I was brought to the end of the long yard, and realized how I was going to die. I was pushed down onto my knees. A man stood on the other side of the long yard with a bow in his hand.  
'So this was it.' I thought. I've had a good run, lots of laughs, and some hard times. I was especially thankful that I had managed to find love in my short 23 year old life. I was thankful for Phil, and that I would die for a cause. I saved the lives of the two people I cared the most about. One that I loved dearly, but with no romance. She was strong, beautiful, and caring. I would miss her, but I knew she would find love one day. And the other one. He was someone I loved more than anything. More than anyone. More than my own life. There aren't enough words to descibe how much I love him. He had been -and would still be even if I were dead- my everything. A single tear slipped down my cheek.  
I saw the man with the bow grab an arrow and load it in. He pulled back the string. I closed my eyes, ready for it to come. Ready for the world to end in one, short shot. Phil's eyes appeared in my mind and I smiled. Yep. I smiled. Even when my world was ending, my life being drained from me, Phil still could make me smile. And that thought, made me smile more.  
Suddenly, I felt someone tackle me. My eyes flew upwards. Shocked, I shook off the loose ropes. Someone had jumped in front of a firing arrow for me? A body lay in a heap next to me. Chis's body. He lay there, the pointed arrow stuck in his chest, a poll of blood sinking out of the wound.  
I cupped my now free hands around his face.  
"Chris?! Why did you-"  
"Dan. Listen. Everything you and Phil stand for-" He wheezed a bit. "Everything. It's what I want to die for. What the cheif does, its all wrong. Please fix it. Phil had it right. These birthmarks" He nodded towards his shoulder weekly. "they don't define us. Please don't forget that." Chris sighed and slowly closed his eyes.  
"Thank you." I whispered. "I'll never forget." A tear reached the bottom of my jaw.  
I looked up. The entire courtyard was silently stunned. Chris? Chris Kendall? The toughest, and most heartless person gave his life for an Atova? His enemy? I saw the cheif, his face pale scared. I saw Carrie and Phil. They were standing behind the door. I hadn't noticed them when I had entered. I saw hundreds of guards. They all just seemed shocked.  
I stood up, feeling a slight breeze run through my hair.  
"That's right!" I yelled loudly, with as much confidence as I could put into my shaky voice. "You heard right. Chris said it. 'These birthmarks don't define who we are'. Just because I have a snake imprinted into my skin doesn't mean I am good, evil, trustworthy, dependent, sneaky, straight. It doesn't mean that I can't love, or achieve greatness. No less does it mean that I'm a hypocrite, or if I'm intelligent. This is all discrimination, and it's wrong. This coward," I pointed to the cheif. "He's built up a pyramid and put himself at the top. For twenty years, we have been fighting! I can barely remember peaceful times!" I ran over to Phil, dragging him to where I was standing. "This is Phil Lester. AND I LOVE HIM! Yes he's a Hious! And he used to take care of me before this terrible war started. Back when he could wear sleeves over his shoulder because these birthmarks didn't matter." Phil smiled and blushed, a bit embarrassed. He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, and stepped in front of me.  
"Yeah. We love eachother, and anyone who thinks that's wrong for the soul purpose of some marks on our shoulders can deal with it. Because I love Dan Howell, birthmark and all, I can't live a moment without him in my life!" He shouted into the crowd filled with, still, stunned guards.  
I glanced over to Carrie. She had tears welled up in her eyes, a smile tucked onto her face. She started to clap, and soon everyone was. Everyone except the cheif. He was attempting to sneak out.  
"Someone grab him!" Carrie yelled. The cheif got as far as the end of the yard before two guards tackled him, pinning his hands against his back.  
"Let me go! I demand you." He screamed.  
"We don't take orders from you." One guard spat.  
"BUT I'M THE CHEIF!"  
"You don't deserve that title." Said the other red-suited man, as the pair dragged the 'once cheif' out. The crowd errupted with applause.  
"Dan." Phil breathed into my ear. "I can't believe it. You did it!"  
"No. We did it." He pulled me into a kiss. It was long and beautiful, his warm lips pressed up against mine. I thought back to a few minutes ago, when I had thought I would never feel something so sweet as this moment. The crowd cheered again.  
When we pulled away, Phil whispered into my ear. "A wise and very attractive man once said: 'Sometimes things are broken. We can either choose to complain about it, or attempt to glue it back together'."  
"I wonder who said that." I smiled, as he rubbed his nose against mine.  
I brushed some fringe out of his eyes. "I don't think I've ever told you, but your eyes are perfect."  
Phil blushed, and leaned in for another kiss. I wrapped my arms around his waist and held him, swaying from side to side. Everything in that moment was completely perfect. Phil's hands now on my cheeks, his lips connected to mine.  
"I love you so much." He whispered. And I nodded, never wanting to let go.

**A/N IMPORTANT TO READ: THIS IS NOT THE END.. well sort of.. An epilogue will be coming, along with a BONUS CHAPTER (10) from Chris's POV, explaining why he changed his perspective on Dan and Phil, in case you were confused :) Thanks so much to everyone who had read, reviwed, followed, and favorited, it srsly is amazing and means a lot! ALMOST 600 READS OMG! SPECIAL THANKS TO: wonderfulfun SHE BETAREAD HALF OF THIS STORY AND HAS TAUGHT ME SO MUCH! *love* ALSO: I am considering writing a sequel to this... I don't know, I'm just really proud of this story, and I don't want to let it go! I'll definitely be writing more -mostly really fluffy one-shots and such- and I have an idea for a new chaptered so STAY TUNNED. I wove you all! *kiss* BYE *for now* MUHAHAHAHA**


	13. Chapter 10 short bonus

Chapter Ten * short bonus* (CHRIS'S POV)

I loved Emma. That was just the just of it. I tried really hard to convince myself I didn't, but, ultimately, I did. I was supposed to despise the Atova Tribe, and everyone in it. I was supposed to be like the rest of my family. The rest of my tribe. I was suppossed to look down upon them, like all my fellow Hious members did. But I didn't. I shut my eyes, wishing this terrible war hadn't started. Wishing that Emma was by my side, in my arms, watching the beautiful fire crackle in the moonlight, as we always did. I sighed, my thoughts replaying the memory I knew all to well. Fifteen years ago. The war had been going on for a past fifteen years. I was in the forest, with my father. We were collecting rocks to hold down our tent for a predicted storm that would happen. We had heard a rustle in the bushes ahead, and a beautiful girl came from the shadows. She had the most gorgeous brown eyes I had ever seen, deep and sweet, the color of chocolate. She looked about my age, although she was quite a bit shorter than me. She had looked me over, a smile tugging on her lips, but she had quickly scurried off.  
I ended up meeting and falling for her. The next few days that had followed were perfect. We spent countless nights in the dark, gazing at the stars. I loved her, and I knew she loved me back. The kisses we shared proved it. I felt safe with her, and the feelings of bliss I got when I even thought of her were amazing. It didn't last long though. We had been in our own little world, snuggling close to the fire, when my father found us. He had a look of digust when he saw me with an Atova girl. I tried frantically to stop him, to save her, but he did it. He killed her. Killed her for the soul purpose of a mark on her shoulder. Everything after that moment was blur. I remember a lot of blood. I remember her scream, cold and heart wrentching. I remember running out into the world, my heart ripped apart. I remember seeing the cheif. He took me in, let me live with him. He taught me everything he knew, and made me the man I was. Which isn't exactly a good thing. I always had enough to eat, and everything most people would dream of having in our world. It was nice, until he taught me to hate. I found myself hating the Atova Tribe, because he wanted me to. I felt I owed it to him, so I killed countless numbers of them, not thinking twice. I became the head of command, and he sent me into the forest that one, cold, dark night, to retrieve Phil and to 'teach Dan a lesson'. The moon hadn't been all that bright while I was tormenting Dan, so I didn't notice his eyes. It wasn't until he was in the cheif's hall, begging for the life of Phil and Carrie did I realize them. They were the exact shade of bown as Emma's. Now just looking at him made my heart ache for her. Making me want to burst into tears. Why was I doing this!? What had I become!? My father. That thought made me want to sob even more. But I was too strong to think these petty things, right? Obviously not.  
I was dragging Dan down the corridors to his death. Dragging him away from his one love because of the soul reason of a mark on his shoulder. Just like my father had done to me and Emma. I couldn't look at him as I kneeled him down onto the yard, knowing what would happen. It was too late to stop it. Or was it? The arrow was coming. Coming closer. I saw Emma's face flash in my mind, remembering the light leaving her eyes that night. I couldn't let that happen to Dan. Phil and him- they were exactly like Emma and I had been, and I couldn't be the one giving them the same fate.  
I tackled him, forcing him out of the way, feeling the immense shock and pain sting through my body as the arrow burst into my chest. I saw all the blood stream down my torso, a pool of it under me.  
I felt hands on my cheeks, half expecting it to be Emma when I saw those eyes. It was Dan, though. His face covered with confusing, appreciation, and worry.  
"Chris?! Why did you-" He started, but I interrupted him. I knew I didn't have long left and there was something I needed to say.  
"Dan. Listen. Everything you and Phil stand for-" I wheezed a bit, the pain growing. "Everything. It's what I want to die for. What the cheif does, its all wrong. Please fix it. Phil had it right. These birthmarks" I nodded towards my shoulder weekly, it taking a lot of strength. "they don't define us. Please don't forget that." I sighed, closing me eyes. I didn't know if I was dead yet. I heard someone whisper "Thank you. I'll never forget." before everything was white, and I saw Emma, the real Emma, once again.

**A/N IMPORTANT: *an epilogue will be coming btw* THIS IS A SHORT CHAPTER EXPLAINING WHY CHRIS CHANGED HIS PESEPECTIVE ON DAN AND PHIL :D *in case you were confused* **


	14. EPILOGUE

Epilogue

From that point on, everything was great. It was no longer the Hious Tribe and the Atova Tribe, but now the Evwer Kingdom, united by care and support for eachother. No longer ripped apart because of a mark on a shoulder. Of course all the captive Atova's were set free, and the forest that had once symbolized cruelty and harsh survival now busied about as a town. Cottages packed together, filled with neighbors ready to share and help anyone and everyone. I'm sure you want to know what happened to everyone. Well...

Carrie became the ruler of the Evwer Kingdom. She was fair and just, and did only what would benfit the kingdom, not herself. She transformed the castle into a training hall for young kids to learn good survival skills, and fighting attacks, used only for defense. She ended up having an intimate relationship with Ben, and they had a happily ever after.

Dean and Hazel were married and enlisted in the Evwer military, ready to protect the freedom that they had worked hard for.

Louis became a doctor, the finest one in the land at that.

Finn and Jack discovered there gift for architexture and built a memorial for Chris.

The cheif was murdered. Everyone agreed that's exactly what he deserved.

Everyone was happy. But what about the heros of this story?  
Dan and Phil turned down the offer as head generals for the military, choosing a quiet life in the quaint town. The lived in a two story cottage spending day in and day out with eachother. The two of them were always together. They helped teach at the survival school with Carrie, being looked upon as heros by the kids.  
The town wanted to give them something in return for everything they had done. The only thing they wanted was that the section of the forest where they had shared their first kiss and starred up into stars to never be cut down so they could escape there in the night. They often did. Wrapped in eachother's arms, they'd lay there until the morning, whispering sweet things through the nights.

"Thank you so much." I whispered in the darkness. Phil was laying next to me encased in shadows on the wet grass.  
"What do you mean?" He stroked my hair.  
"You've made every single moment of my life perfect. I can never repay you enough for what you've done." I was slipping out of consciousness, the need for sleep taking over me. I felt Phil's lips on my forhead.  
"Yes you can. You've already repaid me."  
"How?" I whispered, my eyes drifting close.  
"By being Dan. And I couldn't ask for anything better." I pressed my lips onto his.  
I could feel myself falling into the oblivion of sleep. As my eyes shut, and my breathing became heavier, I heard a whisper. 'I love you.' I fell asleep with a smile on my face, and so did Phil.

It's kind of funny. A month ago, if you would have told Dan Howell he'd fall in love with a guard, be saved by his enemy, give his life for a Hious, and literally save the forest from the cheif tyrant, he'd slap you and say you're insane. But that's exactly what happened. It's funny how fast things can change right before you're very own eyes, if you're willing to take a risk.

The End

**A/N: PLEASE READ: *first* of course thank you! You've all been so sweet, reading and writing reviews and everything! THANK YOU SO MUCH! *especially to wonderfulfun who betaread this* *kiss* love you. I've written a bit of a possible sequel, but I have a small idea of a plot line, so it might now happen.. we'll see. Like I said earlier, I'll still be writing stuff, so stick around! BYE OMG THE FINAL GOODBYE FOR THIS STORY! *kiss* byeee**


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